Book Review – Tom Clancy’s “Patriot Games”

First published back in 1987, Tom Clancy‘s novel Patriot Games acts as a prequel to Jack Ryan, the main character in the 1984 book The Hunt for Red October.

In Patriot Games we learn how naval historian Jack Ryan stops a terrorist attack in London, England, and, through a chain of events, he becomes an analyst within the CIA.

Patriot Games begins in London, England as Jack Ryan, a teacher of naval history at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, is on a trip to England with his wife, Caroline, and their young daughter Sally.  This is a business trip for Jack as he’s there to research material for his next book, but it’s a vacation for his wife and daughter.  Cathy Ryan is a medical doctor and works as an ophthalmic surgeon.

One afternoon as Jack is meeting his wife and daughter, he witnesses a terror attack in broad daylight.  Armed men are attacking and trying to kidnap some people inside of a car.  After making sure his wife and daughter are in a safe area, Jack jumps into action and fights the terrorists.  He knocks one of the gunmen to the ground (injuring his shoulder) and shoots him in the hip to disable him.  Jack then uses the pistol to shoot and kill the other gunman when he turns and fires at Jack.  One of the gunman’s bullets hits Jack, and he bleeds on the street while the local authorities finally arrive.  Cathy helps treat her husband until he’s transported to a local hospital.

When Jack awakes in the hospital, he meets with FBI agent Dan Murray and learns that the people he saved inside of the car were the Prince and Princess of Wales along with their infant newborn son.  Jack does not care for the sudden attention by the news media, especially with his arm in a cast and at an awkward angle, but he’s now a national hero.

The only problem is that the people who attacked the Royal Family were part of a group called the Ulster Liberation Army (ULA), an offshoot of the Irish Republican Army (IRA).  The gunman that Jack Ryan knocked out and disabled was Sean Miller, a very smart and dedicated killer in the organization.  Because of the organization, Jack is under guard at the hospital and his wife and daughter are guests at Buckingham Palace.

Jack is reluctant to accept an invitation to Buckingham Palace where the Royal Family can thank him in person.  In addition to meeting the Prince and Princess, Jack also meets with the Queen of England and accepts her offering of knighthood.  In England and the British Colonies he is now Sir Jack Ryan.

Soon there’s a trial where Sean Miller is accused of a lesser crime than that of attempting to kidnap members of the Royal Family.  Jack Ryan takes the witness stand and relives the events as he’s grilled by Sean’s defense lawyer.  The trial is more of a formality as no matter what he’s really charged with, the British government is going to lock him away for the rest of his life.  Sean Miller isn’t talking about his organization, so the government hopes that a few months with some rough inmates will make Sean want to start talking.

After the trial, the U.S. government flies Jack and his wife and daughter back home first class on the Concorde.  It’s an even more thrilling flight to Jack as he’s had a fear of flying since his helicopter accident years ago.  They quickly fly across the Atlantic Ocean and land at Washington, D.C.

On Christmas morning, Sean Miller is being transported to a new prison on an island when his companions in the ULA attack the ferry and free him.  Several police officers are killed in the prison break.  The terrorists then make a getaway on a smaller boat that takes them to a different ship.  They “disappear” from the radar and ultimately appear at a terrorist training camp in the deserts of Libya.

Jack’s actions in England have captured the attention of Admiral James Greer at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).  When he was in school at Boston College, Jack Ryan was part of the Marine Corps ROTC program, and he graduated and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Marines.  A helicopter accident injured him and removed Jack from the military.  Since then, Jack has worked as a finance officer at a corporation run by Cathy’s father, and he has been teaching classes at the U.S. Naval Academy.  The CIA tried to recruit Jack a while back when he created a system to root out moles in the organization, but Jack refused the offer.  Now that Jack has stopped a terrorist organization and now placed himself in their crosshairs for revenge, Admiral Greer hopes that Jack will use that as an excuse to join the CIA so that he can help track down the Irish terrorists.

Back at the Naval Academy, Jack Ryan is spending time with his friend, Lieutenant Commander Robby Jackson, a naval aviator currently teaching at the academy until he recovers from injuries sustained from ejecting from a fighter aircraft.  Robby’s goal is to get back into the skies and command a squadron of F-14 Tomcat fighters.

Robby is with Jack when he receives a visit from an FBI agent and learns of Sean Miller’s jailbreak.  Although it’s clear that Miller and the ULA severely dislike Jack Ryan, it’s also noted that the IRA does not conduct operations in the U.S.  The organization receives a lot of funding from people in the U.S., and carrying out an attack here would severely diminish their support.  Because of that reason, Jack and his family should still be safe from any revenge attack, but it only makes Jack that much more worried about the safety of himself and his family, especially with Cathy now being pregnant with their second child.

Fearing for his safety, Jack arms himself and seeks weapons training with Sergeant Major Breckenridge and the Marines stationed there at the Naval Academy.  Cathy isn’t thrilled with having firearms in their house, but it’s for their own protection.

Unfortunately for the Ryan family, that protection is going to be needed.  Sean Miller convinces his superiors to travel to the U.S. and plan an assassination against Jack Ryan and his wife.  They team up with Alex Dobbens, an African-American who works as an electrical engineer with a local power company.  Alex is sympathetic to the ULA, dislikes his current country, and is glad to be a part of Sean Miller’s team of hitmen.

Sean’s attack plan calls for two hit teams, one to target Jack Ryan as he leaves the Naval Academy, and a second to attack Cathy Ryan as she drives home from her job at the hospital.  Sean’s team strikes first and attacks Cathy as she’s driving home.  Cathy tries to dodge the bullets from the machine gun and accidentally crashes her car, injuring herself and severely injuring young Sally.

In Annapolis, Jack receives the news of his wife’s attack and Robby drives him to the hospital in Baltimore.  As they leave the Academy, the assassin who was waiting for Jack is spotted by the Marines manning the entry points.  Breckenridge captures the assassin and he’s held in custody until the police arrive.

Cathy survives the car crash with some minor injuries, and her unborn baby is fine.  Sally’s injuries are more serious, and it’s not until the next day when Jack and Cathy learn that their daughter will make a full recovery.  The attack on his family gives Jack all the motivation he needs to help hunt down Sean Miller and the ULA terrorists.  He accepts Admiral Greer’s offer and joins the CIA as an analyst.

At the CIA, Jack goes through the research and helps the agency analyze a couple of terrorist training camps in Libya.  One of them is identified as having been recently used by the ULA, and a French covert ops team raids the camp and captures some people of interest.  After learning about that raid, Jack learns that his work at the CIA indirectly controls the lives of people, whether he likes it or not.  The fact that Jack is uneasy about that knowledge inspires Admiral Greer to train Jack Ryan for a more advanced position within the CIA.

Later, the Prince and Princess of Wales make a visit to America and take Jack up on his offer of visiting his home on the Maryland shore.  During a dinner party involving the Royal Family as well as Robby Jackson and his wife, Sean Miller and the ULA carry out a deadly raid on Jack’s home.

It’s a stormy night as the Irish terrorists strike, attacking and killing the FBI, Secret Service, and British security agents positioned around the house.  Robby Jackson helps to free everybody inside of the house, and they make for the cliff and steal one of the terrorists boats to get away.  They are fired upon and pursued by the ULA terrorists in a second boat.  They pilot their boat up the coast and reach the Naval Academy before the terrorists.  On the docks at the Academy, Breckenridge leads a team of Marines, and they fire on the terrorists.  The ULA terrorists turn around and try to flee, but Jack, Robby, the Prince of Wales, and some soldiers and sailors take a different boat and pursue them.

The terrorists try to reach a cargo ship docked in Baltimore, but they’re intercepted by the police and Coast Guard.  Most of the terrorists are captured by the police, including Sean Miller.  Jack Ryan wants to execute him, but Breckenridge prevents it.  Instead, Sean Miller is hauled away to prison where he’ll be tried for numerous federal crimes.

Patriot Games ends as Jack’s boat arrives back at the Naval Academy, and Jack rushes to the hospital to help his wife give birth.  Cathy does so and Jack Ryan, Junior is born.

FINAL THOUGHTS

So is Tom Clancy’s Patriot Games a good book?

Absolutely!

This is a gripping thriller that will captivate you and hold your attention from start to finish.  You’ll be staying up late and continuing to turn the pages and see what happens next.  For those of you who have seen the 1992 film, beware that there are many differences throughout the book, especially with its ending.

Patriot Games is simply a great book from start to finish, from the opening terror attack to the climatic battle at Jack Ryan’s house and at the Naval Academy and the Port of Baltimore.  The details are fantastic, the characters are great, and the story itself is fantastic.

You cannot go wrong with Patriot Games!